Berlin Zoo

The use of machinery in public parks is a sensible issue - both man and nature must be taken into consideration, which does not make the job easier for those in charge. The visitors must not feel disturbed from either the utility machine or from the mower, neither in volume nor in noise. Paths and lawns should be kept in order, but only in an environmentally friendly way.

This is the case in thousands of parks and recreational areas, but there is an extra twist: The zoo!

Where the animal in all its diversity is at home, there is even more to be aware of. The best way to do this is shown by work of two City Ranger 2200s in the Berlin Zoo. The Zoo Manager, Uwe Hahn who also is responsible for taking care of lawns and paths has for a long time been searching for a machine to fulfil three requirements: Not too heavy on lawns, manoeuvrable on narrow paths and lawns and not too noisy in use. The City Ranger delivers it all.

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The benefits for both animals and humans of the City Ranger 2200 are shown in the low sound emission of only 77 dB (A). Animals in the zoo react quite sensible and also differently to unaccustomed outside influences. As the famous Berlin Zoo is situated in the middle of the western city centre, even the nearby construction sites must take the animals into considerations, so of course the zoo must show a good example.

For instance: The usually fitted beacon on the Nilfisk-Outdoor utility machine is taboo, as the bright, flashing yellow light would upset the animals. Also, the colour of the two City Rangers, a soothing zoo-colour, contributes to avoid agitation in the enclosures. The green colour, pleasant for both humans and animals, commonly known as 'fir-green', could be offered by Nilfisk Outdoor Division without any problems.

Uwe Hahn saw the City Ranger 2200 for the first time at the fair "Galabau" in Nuremberg where he looked for a machine to maintain the 7.5 km of narrow pathways and the small green-areas. Thanks to it's articulated steering the City Ranger has a narrow turning radius, which particularly can be seen when mowing around tree trunks, where the manual work afterwards is reduced to a minimum.

The hydrostatic machine is easily driven due to its tipping drive pedal. Petra Nicol, who regularly drives the City Ranger, moves it with grace around trees and sculptures - and has a lot of fun doing so. Even though the vehicle only is 1040 mm wide, the cabin provides the comfort and space required by a modern workplace: Air condition, adjustable air suspension seat, adjustable steering wheel and an unbeatable view, proving itself worthy every day. Consultancy and an exact calculation are very important when investing in two utility machines.

Through internet research after the fair, Uwe contacted the German subsidiary of the Danish manufacturer. To make a calculation, the first thing is the price of the machine and attachments. Manager of Nilfisk-Egholm GmbH, Mr Norbert Birkendorf cannot offer a discount price but offers state-of-the-art, thousand fold sold technique: The Nilfisk Outdoor attachments are literally changed with one pull on a handle. Using the "Quick-Shift" system the front and rear attachments are mounted, ready to work - this tipped the scale in favour of the City Ranger for Uwe Hahn. It is not so much a question of saving seconds, as it is a question of reducing the risk of health threatening work procedures. He is also responsible for the health of his employees.

The area sales manager Olaf Günther and the local dealer Werner Marzahn Reinigungstechnik GmbH had the special profile of zoo-work in mind, when consulting the Berlin Zoo who bought two City Rangers in 2009 and 2010, equipped with mulch and rotary mowers, grass collector with high-tip, suction sweeper with 3 brushes and external suction hose. For winter care, which is not that much in Berlin, the snow gets cleaned away with the snow sweeper and the rear mounted salt and sand spreader. The zoo uses six of a total of 16 available tailor-made attachments. The approximately 2.8 million visitors each year - on a relatively small area of 79 acres - also played a major role in the decision. A high productivity rate and lots of horsepower was not a key factor, as much as a machine that could mingle amongst the visitors, as silent as possible...

​If you take a closer look, you get an extra little show when visiting - how do the animals react to the City Ranger? The elephants are quite relaxed and do not pay much attention, the giraffes are very curious coming to the edge of the fence and the monkeys raise the alarm and get into defensive positions to warn off the potential rival. Even humans react when the City Ranger passes by: Adults, mainly men, observe the state-of-the-art machinery with great interest, and children - mainly boys - forget the flock of elephants for a while to watch the lawn getting mowed…​​

The Zoological garden of Berlin

The world famous Berlin Zoo was founded in 1844, back in the day at the edge of the city, today in the middle of the western centre. This has made the zoo much more attractive; approx. 60% of the annual 2.8 million visitors are tourists.

The areal of 79 acres houses 17.134 animals in 1554 enclosures (last time counted late 2010).

Another attraction is the aquarium. The zoo has 200 employees; around the half of these are zoo keepers. The Berlin Zoo educates also new zoo keepers. The park section has 23 employees.​​​​​​​